(Reuters photo)A novel coronavirus vaccine being developed by a Thai research team in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania is expected to enter mass production by the end of next year, the research team said on Sunday. Non-human primates which received a second dose of the vaccine displayed high levels of Covid-19 antibodies, which the research team called an encouraging sign. The research team -- led by Kiat Ruxrungtham of the Chula Vaccine Research Centre -- has been testing the Cu-Cov19 vaccine on 13 macaques at Chulalongkorn University's National Primate Research Centre in Saraburi. The first phase of human trials is going to begin in October, followed by the second phase from December to March 2021. It is estimated that around two billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine will be produced by the end of next year -- which is unlikely to be enough to meet the global demand.

Source: Bangkok Post July 13, 2020 02:02 UTC